Windsor police suspect daylight saving time as factor in pair of major crashes

Windsor police are encouraging drivers to be cautious as they adjust to their routine with day- and nighttime travel amid the time change.|

YOUSEF BAIG

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

March 10, 2020

Safe travel tips

FOR DRIVERS

-Wear high quality sunglasses and adjust your visors as needed.

-Reduce your speed and provide more stopping distance.

-Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks and do not pass vehicles stopped at crosswalks.

-Clean your vehicles windows inside and out.

FOR PEDESTRIANS/BICYCLISTS

-Only cross at crosswalks. Look left, right and left again to make sure it is clear. Do not assume that vehicles can see you.

-Avoid distracted walking, which includes looking at your phone or listening to music.

-Evaluate the distance and speed of oncoming traffic before you step out into the street.

-Avoid walking in traffic where there are no sidewalks or crosswalks. If you have to walk on a road that does not have sidewalks, walk facing traffic.

-For bicyclists under 18 years old, you are required to wear a bike helmet. Wearing a helmet regardless of age is important for personal safety.

Windsor police suspect the switch to daylight saving time and lower-angled sun during the morning commute may have played a role in causing two major car crashes Tuesday that were minutes apart and sent three people to the hospital.

In the first, three cars crashed at an intersection near WorldMark resort in southern Windsor around 7:35 a.m., blocking the Shiloh area roadway for over an hour as emergency crews cleared the scene.

A 63-year-old woman turning left onto Shiloh Road in her silver Pontiac Grand Am was struck by a 56-year-old man in a Lincoln pickup, causing her vehicle to spin around in the middle of the intersection with Day Road, said Windsor Sgt. Dylan Fong. A 37-year-old man driving eastbound in a black Nissan Sentra then collided with her Pontiac.

Sonoma County Fire District firefighters were able to pry open a door to the Grand Am and help the woman get into an ambulance. She and the driver of the Nissan were both transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with moderate injuries, Fong said.

While it wasn’t stated outright by those involved in the crash, police investigators think the glare of the low-lying sun around that hour could have made it harder for the drivers to see.

“The time change can affect the way they’re driving and people need to take that into consideration,” Fong said.

About 25 minutes later after the first wreck, police were called to the intersection of Alden Lane and Old Redwood Highway.

A 53-year-old Windsor man driving a Ford Mustang failed to see a 14-year-old boy, who was riding his bicycle on the way to school, and crashed into him.

Multiple witnesses told police the boy was thrown into the air and landed on his head while not wearing a helmet, Fong said.

The Mustang driver offered the boy a ride to the hospital, and took him to Healdsburg District Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries.

“He had some scrapes and a slight concussion,” Fong said.

The Windsor man who hit the bicyclist told police he couldn’t see the boy as he entered the crosswalk because the sun was in his eyes.

Windsor police are encouraging drivers to be cautious as they adjust to their routine with day- and nighttime travel amid daylight saving time.

“People driving out there are not really aware we had a time change and the sun’s going to be in a different position in the sky,” Fong said.

You can reach Staff Writer Yousef Baig at 707-521-5390 or yousef.baig@pressdemocrat.com.